Member Avatar for rrjljrw

I recently installed a DVD-RW and a usb hdd. I tried to play a .mpeg in wmp10 and get audio, but no video. I had the same results with realplayer and quicktime. Also tried to play .avi's with the same result. I've tried rolling back the WMP, same results. I uninstalled all the new software I installed and ran regclean. I'm currently running Avast! to see if there's any viruses I missed. Has anyone else had this problem? There's nothing about it on the Microsoft web site and didn't have any luck googling this problem. I do have one jap anime cartoon that runs. It's a .mpeg, and is the only one that works.

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by tayspen

Dani AI

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This thread shows a classic symptom: audio plays and the timebar advances, but the video surface stays black. and rightly pointed at codecs as a common cause, yet a black picture with sound more often means the renderer/display driver or DirectX/overlay path is failing — exactly what resolved by installing the proper LCD driver. In short, the player can decode frames but cannot present them to the screen.

The technical root: Windows players use DirectShow filters and a video renderer (overlay, VMR7/VMR9/EVR). If the GPU or monitor is using a generic driver, if EDID information is wrong, or if hardware acceleration paths are unsupported or misconfigured, video frames can be dropped or drawn off-screen while audio continues on its separate pipeline.

A concise troubleshooting checklist:

  1. Running a self-contained player (VLC, mpv) isolates codec vs renderer problems — if these show video, the system renderer/codecs are at fault.
  2. Inspecting the file with MediaInfo or GSpot identifies the exact video codec and container.
  3. Running dxdiag and checking the Display tab verifies DirectDraw/Direct3D status and driver versions.
  4. Checking Device Manager for the Monitor and Display adapter entries — replace generic PnP monitor or out-of-date GPU driver with vendor-supplied drivers (monitor INF and GPU drivers).
  5. Toggling hardware acceleration (Control Panel → Display → Settings → Advanced → Troubleshoot) helps determine whether overlay/hardware paths are causing the blackout.
  6. Trying alternate renderers in a player that exposes them (VMR7/VMR9/EVR/legacy renderers) narrows the problem to a specific rendering path.
  7. Create a restore point before major codec/driver installs and prefer official vendor downloads to avoid conflicts.

Takeaway: when multiple players show audio-only playback, prioritize checking the display/GPU/DirectX pipeline in addition to codecs. Installing the correct monitor and GPU drivers usually fixes the issue and prevents subtle rendering mismatches.

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Member Avatar for rrjljrw

I guess I should also mention that all the players worked about 3 weeks ago, also upgraded to an LCD but display settings are still set to plug and play.

Member Avatar for rrjljrw

Also, found no viruses.

Member Avatar for rrjljrw

i installed the codec software, still having the same results. Player just shows a black screen. Time is being counted, and can hear audio. No picture.

Member Avatar for goldeagle2005

If they're XVid or DivX files, you will need separate codecs for them. I suggest the K-Lite Mega Codec Pack. Google for the link.

Member Avatar for rrjljrw

Okay, I feel like a real moron. It never occurred to me to check the display drivers. I thought it was a little hokey that they were still plug and play. Went out and located the correct drivers for my obscure LCD and installed. Rebooted, and wa-la, works fine. Guess I've gotten a little rusty since I haven't worked in the tech field for over a year. The monitor appeared to be working fine, that's why I never checked the drivers. I realized that i hadn't run any video on this new monitor until today.

Member Avatar for rrjljrw

Thanks for all the help, I'll check out the DivX also...looks like I get to reinstall a few programs.

Member Avatar for tayspen

Glad you got it worked out. :)

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